Kathmandu: Sri Lanka’s second international airport in the southern town of Mattala resumed international flight operation on Thursday after a lapse of two years.
A passenger plane from Russia’s Red Wings Airlines landed at the Mattala international airport with around 400 passengers.
The Red Wings Airlines is to operate two flights a week to the Mattala international airport, which has mostly been used over the last two years for refueling and for planes diverted in emergency situations.
A few cargo planes and chartered flights have also landed at the airport over the past two years. The Sri Lankan government has offered a number of concessions for flights willing to land at Mattala.
Airlines were offered a discount on landing and parking fees at Sri Lanka’s main airport in Colombo if they decided to operate scheduled flights to Mattala.